Get the essential book on Mike Leigh’s process
Calling all Mike Leigh fans
With our book Peterloo in Process, uncover the magic behind Mike Leigh’s working process as told by the man himself and the people who work with him.
One of the finest film-related texts of 2019
Why we wrote the book
About Mike Leigh and Peterloo
From Vera Drake to Happy-Go-Lucky, Naked to Mr. Turner, nobody creates a truly lived-in cinematic world like Mike Leigh. His unique directorial process, involving months of rehearsal, has long been a source of intrigue.
Our new ebook, Peterloo in process: A Mike Leigh collaboration, pulls back the curtain on how Leigh builds films in which every frame feels real and full of life.
Through interviews with all of Leigh’s central team on Peterloo — not just the actors, but also the heads of department — uncover how Leigh’s process involves rehearsal and improvisation, historical research, and collective brainstorming across all departments.
Many of Leigh’s collaborators interviewed have been working with Leigh for years and offer insights into the making of some of his other films.
Snag our Mike Leigh book and learn how some of the most profound character studies of the last four decades came to fruition.
Preview our Mike Leigh ebook for free
Read excerpts from Peterloo in process here.
Watch the book trailer
Recall why you love Mike Leigh and discover what you’ll get from the book.
Reading this caused me to revisit the film, and actually change my opinion
The writing is top-notch; consider this, from Alex Heeney: “Mike Leigh’s Peterloo is a rare story about the fight for a fairer democracy: one of carnage rather than triumph, one that ends with tragedy and unfinished labour rather than success and social change. In other words, despite its broad canvas, including more than a hundred characters acting out historical events, Peterloo is every bit a Mike Leigh film: peppered with flawed, complicated characters, inspirational because it is a story of recognizable people, and nothing like the silk-swishing period pieces that are a staple of British cinema.” ”
Inside Peterloo in process, our Mike Leigh book
Peterloo in process is divided into five chapters:
Chapter One: On Peterloo
Chapter Two: An Overview of Mike Leigh’s Process
Chapter Three: Performing in Peterloo: Actors on working with Mike Leigh
Chapter Four: Inside the Actors’ Surgeries
Includes interviews with:
Chapter Five: Editing a Mike Leigh Film
About the authors of Peterloo in Process
Alex Heeney
Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. As a film critic and engineer by training, she takes a systems approach to film criticism — looking at all the collaborators in the filmmaking process and how they fit together — which has been the inspiration for all of Seventh Row’s ebooks.
Orla Smith
Orla is a filmmaker and film critic, with a wealth of experience interviewing multiple department heads for films (e.g. Lean on Pete and On Chesil Beach) to piece together how these collaborations work and how the pieces all fit together.
Purchase your copy of Peterloo in Process
The ebook is available as an ePub and PDF, which are readable on all tablets, smart phones, and eReaders.
Buy the book here for $26.99 USD.
FAQs
How do I read the book?
When you purchase a copy, you will receive DRM-free links to download the book as both a PDF and an ePub.
Who is interviewed in the book?
In addition to writer-director Mike Leigh, the book includes interviews with his key collaborators behind and in front of the camera on his film Peterloo.
Many of these collaborators have been working with Mike Leigh for years on multiple films:
- Editor Jon Gregory (since 1987 with the short The Short & Curlies, up until Peterloo)
- Cinematographer Dick Pope (since 1990 with Life is Sweet up to and including Hard Truths)
- Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran (since 1999 with Topsy Turvy)
- Production Designer Suzie Davies (since 2014 with Mr. Turner)
- Makeup & Hair Designer Christine Blundell (since 1990 with Life is Sweet)
- Actor Rory Kinnear (Peterloo only)
- Actor Maxine Peake (All or Nothing, Peterloo
Is the book just interviews?
The book also includes an essay on Peterloo, which links the craft of the film to its themes and preoccupations. It also includes a rundown of Mike Leigh’s process with each of his collaborators, and some historical context for the film Peterloo.
I’d like to learn more about the book. Where can I look?
In a recent episode of the Seventh Row Podcast, Alex Heeney dispels three myths about Mike Leigh’s process which our book dispels.
You can also listen to our creaky old episode about Peterloo and the process of writing the book.